The Scarlet Rebellion
by Phindin
Summary: In an alternate history, Giovanni's Project Mewtwo is a grand success. Now, after eight years of tyranny, the citizens of Kanto look to one masked hero to lead a revolution that will finally put an end to Rocket rule.
1. New Moon Rising

**(Author's Note: I do not claim the contents of this Fan Fiction to be particularly original in any way--I have just always been enamored with the idea of the masked revolutionary, leading the people to resist their oppressors in the style of V for Vendetta, Code Geass, or even Batman. As you read you're likely to see influences from all three--and, most likely, more. At any rate, I've already said too much. Happy reading.)**

_Indigo Plateau, Eight Years Ago_

Lance the Dragon Master, strongest of the Elite Four, stood tall. His fingers quivered as he reached down for his final Pokéball, knowing that it was all that stood between the world he knew and an impending hell. He would try--oh yes, he would--but even before he called forth his final weapon, his ace in the hole, he knew it was over. Over for him. Over for everyone.

Giovanni's lips were curled into an arrogant smile. He hadn't even broken a sweat, his suit stiff and spotless. The _thing_--the _monster_--floated in front of him, hovering just a few inches off the ground. Its body was covered in the undulating blue-black energy; it was the energy that would defeat easily one of the strongest Pokémon the Kanto region had ever seen.

"Dragonite… let's go."

The Pokémon could feel its trainer's hopelessness, and gave only a halfhearted howl as it sprang forth. For a moment it stayed in the air, accompanied by a few strokes of the wing, then slowly it sank to the ground. Wings folded, it faced the beast. The _thing_. The _monster_.

The Pokémon Giovanni called… Mewtwo.

"Your last Pokémon, no?" Giovanni said.

"As you know," Lance replied, a snarl in his voice.

Giovanni tossed his hands, unconcerned. "Your move, then, Lance."

Lance narrowed his eyes then flung his shaking arm forward.

"Dragonite, take to the air. Then… Hyper Beam."

Dragonite did as it was told, rocketing into the air. It positioned itself, drew back, then spat the massive, bone-crushing beam down toward Mewtwo; the air around the beam sizzled and cracked, and the attack left a searing streak in the darkening sky.

"Barrier," Giovanni said.

Mewtwo trust a paw forward, and a tall rectangle of the glowing blue-black energy sprang to life. It floated just a few feet in front of Mewtwo; the Pokémon did not move an inch as Dragonite's Hyper Beam slammed directly into it. The barrier took the entire attack--no signs of weakening. Normally, Lance would have been outraged, having broken several Barrier attacks with Dragonite's Hyper Beam before, but nothing about the beast Pokémon Mewtwo surprised him now.

"Is that your best?" Giovanni asked, glancing down at his fingernails.

"Dragon Rage!" Lance said, ignoring his opponent.

"Let's not," Giovanni said as Dragonite swept back once more, preparing its attack. "Mewtwo, stop it with a Psychic attack."

Without moving a muscle, Mewtwo produced a new wave of blue-black energy that completely engulfed Lance's Dragonite. The Pokémon howled as it attempted to free itself, but soon it became completely immobile.

"Send it for a ride," Giovanni said. "But not into the Pokémon League building… I have plans for that after I've dispatched Mr. Lance."

Dragonite's frozen form began to dip downward; then, with a sudden burst of speed, slammed violently to the ground. Before a second passed, Dragonite had shot back into the air--fifty feet, perhaps more. Then again it plummeted, crashing into the earth.

"Enough!" Lance shouted. "Stop… just stop! You win, Giovanni! Release my Pokémon!"

Giovanni considered. "Hm… No, that's not nearly enough. Keep going, Mewtwo."

Now Lance's entire body was shaking. "You…!!"

Lance flung himself at Giovanni, reaching him in several furious steps. He aimed a punch, but was stopped cold in his tracks. The same wicked energy that had held his Dragonite now gripped him. He stood before Giovanni, fist just inches away from its target--the Rocket leader's head.

"Thank you, Mewtwo," Giovanni said. "Lance… that wasn't a very wise move, now was it? Good thing I had Mewtwo here to stop you, or you might have done something you would have most certainly regretted later on. The question is now, what to…?"

Somehow, Dragonite was back on its feet; Mewtwo had to release the dragon Pokémon from its power to stop Lance's punch. Now it dove into Mewtwo, tail and claws flying, howling with a bloody rage. Mewtwo was caught in the swarm of attacks, and dust flew as the two Pokémon tussled, heaving and rolling every which way.

"Teleport!" Giovanni barked, flustered for the first time that evening. "Then Psychic! Stop that weak, pathetic thing!"

With Dragonite tiring, Mewtwo was able to separate itself and teleport away. Just before Dragonite was trapped again by Mewtwo's Psychic, it howled one last time--howled so that Lance could hear. It was a message. A request, from Pokémon to trainer.

_Run._

Lance did as ordered. Once released from his state of paralysis, he hooked Giovanni hard in the jaw, then turned tail and ran. Giovanni staggered back, taking a second to regain his composure. He tore as his waste, calling forth every Pokémon in his arsenal. He could give no orders--Lance had broken his headset with his punch, destroying the speaker--but he roared at the top of his lungs, to both minion and Pokémon alike.

"STOP HIM!!"

_Rocket Viridian Compound, Day 1 - 7:44 PM (Present Day)_

There were some pluses to Dirk's job, the first being that he was not a grunt. "Far from it, actually," he would tell anyone who was vaguely interested. His official title was Sub-Executive, which was a mouthful, but much better than the lowly, monosyllabic "grunt." Better, too, was the fact that he could order the grunts around. There were a few restrictions, yes, and a handful of things he had to clear with the Executives before doing, but it was better than nothing. Especially because he could order the grunts to do things like fetch his coffee, which he had on several occasions.

One thing Dirk did not like about his job was his commander--the Executive of his branch, the eighteen-year-old whelp known as Blue. Before joining Team Rocket, Blue had been the official champion of Kanto, having defeated the Elite Four shortly before Rocket takeover. Giovanni had been prepared to take him out as well, if necessary, like he had done to every other powerful trainer of Kanto, but Blue had accepted Giovanni's suggestion to join Team Rocket rather than face the alternative

But Dirk digressed. Blue was a powerful trainer, to be sure--second only to Giovanni, come to that--but he was _eighteen_. Eight. Teen. Dirk hated it. He did not enjoy being bossed around be an annoying teenager with a nasally voice. Worse, it was Blue's job to train the new recruits in the Viridian Gym--since Blue didn't actually _do anything_ to Dirk's knowledge (aside from attend those dumb, secret meetings he went to with the boss and the other five Executives), the entire weight of the task fell upon Dirk's shoulders.

It was for that reason that Dirk had low prospects for what was about to occur. Blue had summoned him, and that usually meant that he wanted to assign Dirk some useless, menial task. Usually the task was specific, too, which meant that Dirk had little discretional authority. Irksome, considering discretional authority was what kept Dirk out of the funny farm.

Two grunts were waiting in front of Blue's quarters when Dirk arrived. They were stone-faced, unsmiling, and still as statues. Dirk strode up to the door, brushing aside a stray strand of dirty blond hair that had fallen across his face. At that point the door usually slid aside, allowing Dirk entrance into the room beyond. This time, however, the door stood still.

Dirk coughed into his right glove.

The two grunts did not move.

"So," Dirk began conversationally, "is he… going to let me in, then?"

No response.

"The door's not opening," Dirk pointed out.

Still no response.

Dirk growled, losing patience. "Does he subtract a few hundred from your pay every time you utter a word, or what?"

"The door will open when Executive Blue is ready for you," Grunt One replied.

Dirk pursed his lips. "He called me down, like, a half-hour ago. I was late getting here, even! How could he not be ready?"

No response.

Dirk bit lightly at his lip. "Right." He cast his eyes about the entrance hall, drumming his fingers on the side of the uniform. "Say," he began, suddenly inspired, "you don't think he's…?" He made the motion with his fist. "You know? I mean, he's eighteen, after all."

Not even a twitch.

"Ugh," Dirk said. "Barrels of fun, you two."

He waited a moment longer and was rewarded with a soft beep that issued from inside Blue's quarters. A second later the door slid open.

"Executive Blue will see you now," Grunt Two said.

Dirk rolled his eyes. "And Sub-Executive Dirk will be happy to oblige him."

Blue quarter's had been originally built as an area where trainers could battle their Pokémon. It was, in fact, where Giovanni's Pokémon used to do battle back when he was the Gym Leader of Viridian City. Where Dirk stood, mere days before the completion of Project Mewtwo, Giovanni had lost his badge to Blue. Mere days after completion of project Mewtwo, he had defeated Red, the boy supposedly destined to dispatch Team Rocket. After losing, Red had not been seen or heard of since.

Funny that the people still clung to Red. A boy, not eleven-years-old, who had disappeared over eight years ago… how silly. There were rumors that Red had beaten Blue at every turn back in the day, and everyone, part of Team Rocket or not, knew that Red and defeated Giovanni of two separate occasion prior to Project Mewtwo. But that was no reason for them to hope that Giovanni would ever fall--with Mewtwo, he would never be beaten.

"Dirk," Blue said, by way of introduction.

"Mr. Executive, sir," Dirk droned.

Blue turned to face him. He hadn't changed much over the years, still with his spiked, coppery-brown hair and arrogant sneer. He wore the Executive uniform well, and had filled out since his days as the preteen Champion. He was taller, too--taller than Dirk himself, which, now that Dirk thought about it, was another annoying thing to add to the list.

Blue smirked. "I have a surprisingly important mission for you, Dirk. I hope you're up to it."

"Odd," Dirk said. "I have never known you to hand out important missions to your subordinates."

"Noticed, have you? How observant."

"I try, sir. What's the occasion?"

"The occasion," Blue said, "is that I will be leaving soon. Our master has assigned me a task that is more important than the one I'm about to give to you."

Dirk nodded. "Naturally."

"So…" Blue paused, pulling lightly at his collar. "You're familiar with my grandfather, Professor Oak?"

"Of course," Dirk replied. "Old man still alive?"

Blue sniffed. "Unfortunately."

Dirk blinked, but said nothing. Giovanni had done a fine job with Blue; he hadn't been a particularly nice kid right out of the gate, but time as Team Rocket's second-in-command had transformed him into an unfeeling block of ice, much like his master. Dirk often had to dig deep for just a small shred of humanity.

"So what of your grandfather, than?" Dirk prompted.

"He's being too noisy," Blue replied. "Too vocal. He's written one too many articles about how the state of Kanto has degraded under Rocket rule, and my master's finally had enough. Silence the old man in whatever way you wish, but make sure to cover your tracks. We don't want him becoming a martyr."

Dirk saluted smartly. "You can count on me, sir."

And he honestly could. There weren't many things Dirk enjoyed, but silencing people was certainly one of them.

_Cerulean City, 8:22 PM_

A single figure stood at the edge of town, a plain white mask in hand. Though flat-chested, the figure had the apparent build and elegance of a female. Dressed almost all in black, she wore a tight-fitting suit with a scarlet bow tie. A cape with matching scarlet trim fell from her shoulders, ending just above the soles of her long, narrow boots. On her head perched a tweed trilby hat, angled slightly over shoulder-length brown hair. Gloves covered her hands, and she wore a thick belt, six Pokéballs hanging at her waste.

Something within her garb buzzed softly. She withdrew a small, hand-held radio and brought it to her ear.

"Yes?" she said.

"It's Bill," came the voice on the other end, rough through the slight static but still think with an accent characterized by its southern twang. "This is… Scarlet, or whatever yer callin' yerself?"

"Yes. I am Scarlet."

"Right." There was a pause. "So, 'bout yer little request…"

"Did you do it?"

There was another pause before Bill responded. "Look… I dunno how you found out 'bout my, uh, sentiments toward Team Rocket, but… I don't particularly like dangerous work, you know? Maybe it'd be better--"

"That's not what I want to hear from you, Bill."

"I know, but…"

"I can keep you safe."

"You sure 'bout that? 'Cause Team Rocket--"

"And even if I couldn't," Scarlet said, voice firm, "do you really want to wait around, just hoping someone else with your technical skill--one who will take the risk--stands up and defies Team Rocket? You don't like how they run things; you don't like how the world is slowly decaying around you. Now is your chance to do something about it."

Bill sighed. "I had the same thoughts ma'self, dear."

"Well then?"

He sighed again. "I got what you need to know."

Scarlet closed her eyes and smiled. "Thank you."


	2. First Blood

_South Pallet Town, 10:24 PM_

Dirk took a stick of gum from his pocket, unwrapped it, and stuck it in his mouth. He crumpled up the foil with his fingers and flicked it away into the light breeze. Dirk had good vision--he could see the foil bounce along the grass for a good fifteen feet before it was swallowed by the darkness. He stood still, chewing his gum thoughtfully until his headset crackled at him.

"Sub-Executive."

"I hear you," Dirk replied.

"This is R-13. I think I've spotted someone suspicious. Someone or some_thing_."

Dirk snorted. "Then investigate it, you twit. Report back once you've found out what it is."

"Yes, sir."

_Professor Oak's Laboratory, 10:31 PM_

Daisy Oak was worried about her grandfather.

She worried about many things, actually; presently, her grandfather was just at the top of the list. Not that she showed it. She was good at keeping a strong face, hiding problems behind her pleasant features. Over the years, however, her grandfather had gotten infuriatingly good at reading her emotions, whether she tried to hide them from him or not.

"You're worried about me," he said after turning from his computer to look at her.

"Yes, I am," she said. "And you should know why."

Oak raised his eyebrows. "You've been reading my articles again, haven't you?"

"Of course. I read all of them."

"Even so," Oak said. "I cannot stand idly by as our world decays and collapses around itself. The world will know my opinion; if I am targeted by Team Rocket because it, so be it."

"That's very selfish, grandfather."

"Perhaps." Casting her another glance, he decided to shift tactics. "But you really shouldn't concern yourself. What would Team Rocket want with me, anyway? Half of Kanto thinks I'm senile, and the other half think I'm dead. Shouldn't matter much what I say now, hm?"

Daisy's gaze fell to the floor. "I hope you're right."

Oak slowly stroked his chin, pondering. "You haven't been well lately, have you?"

"How do you mean?"

"I think you may have a little… cabin fever."

Daisy blinked. "What?"

"Cabin fever," Oak repeated. "You're a beautiful nineteen-year-old girl, but you spend your days either with me or alone at home, doing experiments I'm much too old to do or whoever-else-knows-what. I think you should move out--Celadon or Saffron or somewhere. Get out of here. Find a nice young man. Live your life."

Daisy blushed. "Grandpa, I don't want--"

Oak exhaled loudly. "That boy…"

Daisy tilted her head slightly. "What boy?"

"He really did it for you, didn't he?" Oak mused. "How you can hold a crush for eight years--"

"Grandpa!" Daisy shouted, her blush deepening. "You don't…"

"I don't _what_?" Oak asked, grinning.

Daisy said nothing.

"It's nothing to be ashamed about, you know," Okay said. "I couldn't personally think of a better candidate."

"Can we please change the subject?"

"Certainly. How about your future occupation once you move out of here? Let's talk about that."

"I have no plans to move anywhere," Daisy said. "And there's no way you're convincing me otherwise, so you may as well stop--"

A sharp _bang_ issuing from the front of Oak's laboratory cut Daisy off; both she and her grandfather froze. Then, before a second had passed, the electricity failed, leaving them in a vat of darkness.

_North Pallet Town, 10:25 PM_

On the other side of town, the Rocket grunt R-13 slid his radio back inside his pocket. With the hurl of a Pokéball he called forth his Machop. The Pokémon leaped from the ball and fell in place at its master's side. Feeling slightly more secure, R-13 crept forward toward the edge of the woods. Though he could no longer see the figure that had caught his eye, he had a vague idea where it might be--if it had been there at all.

As he neared the trees, he was almost certain that his mind had been deceiving him; the woods, dark and foreboding, did not look inviting. He considered heading back, but the thought of Sub-Executive Dirk discovering his cowardice kept him at the edge of the trees. Finally he steeled himself and dove into the woods, Machop at his heels.

R-13 couldn't see much of anything as he stumbled around in the trees. It had been a bad idea, really. Everything was too dark--how could he possibly find some mysterious figure dressed in black? He was on the verge of turning back, ready to call in that he couldn't find anything when a bright beam of light suddenly seared his vision--not just light, he realized, but a beam of energy. With an epiphany, R-13 recognized it as a Psybeam attack--a Psybeam attack that slammed directly into his Machop, knocking it cold.

He was reaching for his second Pokéball--the one that held his Koffing--when a gripping psychic energy held him in place, paralyzing his entire body. A few feet in front of him an Espeon sprang lithely into view. The last thing R-13 saw were its glowing eyes, locked directly with his.

_South Pallet Town, 10:32 PM_

Dirk spat out his gum. He reached into his pocket for another piece, only to realize that he was fresh out. Grinding his teeth in annoyance, he tapped the side of his headset. If those buffoons weren't ready by now, Dirk thought, God save them.

"Are we green?" Dirk asked.

"Squad 1 green, sir. Preparations complete. We're ready to go."

"Squad 2 is missing a man, sir. R-13."

Dirk licked his lips, tapping again at his headset. "R-13, what's your status?"

"Just rejoining my squad, sir," R-13 replied.

"What of the suspicious… thing?"

"Just a wild Rattata, sir."

"Good." Anther tap. "Squad 2, report."

"Green now, sir. Preparations complete. We're ready."

"Good," Dirk said. "Move out."

Dirk smiled. The execution was simple--a simple execution for a simple mission. Regardless of its importance, which Blue had stressed, silencing a man as old and feeble as Professor Oak was no hard task. And that was all it was. Oak's aids had departed at ten, leaving just the professor alone with his granddaughter. Neither were trainers, and neither were physical threats. Like shooting fish in a barrel… or catching a Pidgey with an Ultra Ball, which seemed vaguely more appropriate.

There were two squads with six men each--not including Dirk himself, who would lead Squad 1. It was his squad's responsibility to break into the lab, then capture Oak and his granddaughter. Dirk wasn't sure what he was going to do with Oak, but he knew he was keeping the granddaughter--Dirk had heard somewhere that she was rather nice on the eyes. As a seasoned criminal, he knew that it wasn't something you needed to waste.

Dirk shook his head. Squad 2, meanwhile, was to surround the lab. In case by some miracle either the girl or the grandpa escaped Squad 1, Squad 2 would stop them before they got too far. It was simple, Dirk knew, but all that was needed. Oak's laboratory was very isolated, so the town itself would not be disturbed. Before anyone knew that Oak and his granddaughter were gone, a fake story would already have been printed in the papers, describing how the pair had moved to the Johto Region or something.

At that moment, Dirk's squad formed around him. Together they swept down upon the lab, slinking along the shadows. Dirk spotted Squad 2 as he approached, and the Rockets from both squads took their positions. Dirk joined two other grunts at the main entrance and signaled for the power to be cut. He then nodded to the two, who together slammed through the door, bursting it open on the first try. The lights flickered out just as Squad 1 poured into the building.

Oak and his granddaughter were easy to find; it looked as though they hadn't moved at all since they had infiltrated the building.

"Please, Daisy, you must hide!" Oak was shouting at his granddaughter.

Daisy wasn't budging. "No, grandpa, I'm not going to leave you alone with them!"

"Daisy!" Oak tried again. "Now! Listen to me, you have to--"

"Evening, governor," Dirk cut in, stepping up toward the pair. He was flanked by the six other Rockets.

Daisy turned on him. "You're cowards, all of you! Haven't you done enough to this world already? Leave my grandfather alone!"

"That's enough!" Oak said. "You've come here for me, yes? I'll go with you quietly, but please leave my granddaughter out of this. She's done nothing wrong."

"Sorry, Prof, no can do," Dirk replied. "I wouldn't say you're in much of a position to make any deals." His lips curled into a smug smile, and he faced Daisy. "Girl, have you--"

"Daisy Oak. I have a name."

The smile grew. "Of course you do, Daisy, how rude of me not to ask. I'm Sub-Executive Dirk, by the way. Pleased to meet you."

"I know who you are. You've terrorized enough people around these parts."

"I'm honored," Dirk said. "Truly honored. But I digress, yes? I was going to ask you: what right does your grandfather have to write articles criticizing Team Rocket?"

"He has every right. People are allowed to speak their minds!"

Dirk unclipped a Pokéball from his belt. "Are they?" he asked. He began to lightly toss and catch the Pokéball several times in succession, allowing it to get about a foot of air before falling neatly down into his palm.

"Yes," Daisy replied, wearily eyeing the Pokéball. "Of… of course."

With a sharp _slap_, Dirk snatched the ball from the air before it finished its downward course. "This world is _ours_. Team Rocket's. We control it, because we took it from your lot fair and square. We're the more powerful--the _elite_--so it's only natural. As the elite, the rulers, the puppeteers, your silly 'rights' mean nothing to us; they only extend so far as your ability to protect them."

"Please excuse me," a voice came, echoing strongly off the walls, "but I believe basic human rights are a little beyond your jurisdiction."

The voice was not Daisy's, nor was it Oak's. The two stood, mouths agape, just as baffled as Dirk and his squad of Rockets, who wore similar expressions.

"You!" Dirk growled, pointing at Oak. "Tell me what's going on!"

Oak shrugged. "I couldn't say. Nothing like this has ever happened in my lab before."

Dirk looked frantically about, fingers clenched tightly around his Pokéball. "You! With the voice! Show yourself!"

"As you wish."

An opening in the ceiling slid away, and out dropped the black, theatrically-dressed form of Scarlet. She landed on all fours, her cape whipping to the ground as she straightened, standing tall. She turned to face Dirk, who was slowly registering her appearance. Clipped to the ceiling, something had been left behind… a small device of sorts. But at present, the device did not pique Dirk's interest.

"What is this?" he shouted. "Who the hell are you?!"

"Presently," she replied, "a small spark in the night--one soon to be a roaring flame." She removed her hat and bowed. "Scarlet is my name."

Dirk shook his head. "You've got to kidding me. Scarlet? Truly? This is some sort of joke, right? Right? You some sort of philosopher/freedom fighter that dresses like a freak?"

"No. I am a Trainer."

"Oh, really?"

Scarlet unclipped a Pokéball, holding it in front of her. "That's right."

Dirk laughed. "Wow… yes, whatever you want. If this battle last more than two minutes I ought to be demoted."

"Shall we assist you, sir?" one of the grunts asked.

Dirk dismissed the thought with a wave. "No, no. If she somehow manages to beat me, though, feel free take her down with a combined attack. Oh, but make sure Oak and the girl don't disappear."

"Yes, sir."

"Then let's not waste any more time, hm?" Dirk said, hurling his Pokéball. "Primape, let's thrash us a clown!"

Scarlet threw her own ball. "Blastoise--knock the words right out of this deadbeat."

The two Pokémon leaped out from their balls and faced each other.

Dirk blinked. "Blastoise?"

"Hydro Pump."

Blastoise took aim and fired, the power of its cannons slowly sliding the Pokémon backwards. A touch unprepared, Primate barely dodged the attack, leaping up and over the thick aquatic jet.

"Follow it," Scarlet said.

Blastoise leaned back, aiming its canons upwards. Unable to take the necessary evasive maneuvers while airborne, Primape took the attack directly. The force of the water rocketed it upward, slamming it against the ceiling. The Hydro Pump held Primape in place, powerful enough to keep the Pokémon wedged and completely immobile.

"It might not be breathing," Scarlet said. "You should probably return it."

"Like hell!" Dirk spat. "Primape, fight on!!"

Scarlet sighed. "Let it fall, Blastoise. Then… Skull Bash."

As the jets of water stopped, Primate--soaked and disoriented--began to fall. With a grunt, Blastoise lowered its body slightly, then sprang up with surprising speed. Primape was barely conscious when Blastoise rammed its skull into its side. Primape was knocked upward again, bouncing once off the ceiling before tumbling to the floor. Now it was clearly unconscious.

Dirk returned Primape to its ball, now wondering with a slight prickle of worry just who exactly he was dealing with. Next he called forth Hypno.

"Hypnosis!" Dirk ordered, determined to get the first move this time.

"Withdraw."

As Hypno began to swing its pendulum, but Blastoise drew into its shell, voiding the attack.

"Tackle it, Blastoise."

Two jets of water shot from the rear of Blastoise's shell, propelling it forward at a tremendous speed--faster than both Dirk _and_ his Pokémon thought possible. Blastoise's shell made meaty contact with Hypno, sending it reeling to the floor.

"Bite."

Blastoise's launched again toward Hypno, its head popping back out of its shell. Hypno attempted to ward off the advancing Blastoise with its arm, but the water Pokémon simply sank its teeth into the first thing it saw. Mouth around Hypno's arm, Blastoise spun on its feet, then released; Hypno flew across the lab, landing in a heap a few feet in front of Daisy.

"Wow, Blastoise," Scarlet said. "That was creative."

Dirk simply gawked.

"Who's next?" Scarlet asked.

"Screw this!" Dirk shouted. "All right, you grunts, run this clown to the ground!"

"Already?" Scarlet said. As the grunts began tossing their Pokéballs, she addressed Oak and Daisy. "If you want to escape, stay close to me."

Then, with the army of Rocket Pokémon bearing down on her, Scarlet raised an arm and snapped her fingers.


	3. Rebellion

_South Pallet Town, 10:45 PM_

The mission was taking longer than it should have. Team Rocket grunt R-13 knew that, yet he wasn't concerned. He had his own mission now, his own goals, so Dirk's plan, along with Team Rocket's dreams and ideals, seemed oddly insignificant. For the moment he had a new master, who gave him new orders. And those orders were now all that mattered.

Professor Oak's laboratory was not a small structure. Dirk had ordered the five members of Squad 2 to surround the building--because of the lab's size, the grunts could barely see one another at the edge of the darkness. Each grunt had been ordered to guard a potential exit: there was the main entrance at the front, two lesser exits at either side, and a row of tall windows toward the back. Two grunts had been order to guard the rear of the lab, though it didn't seem feasible that a man as old as Oak could escape through thick windows that rested almost ten feet off the ground.

R-13 was stationed at the rear. Another grunt stood some fifteen feet to his left.

R-13 knew what he had to do.

The signal. He would act when he saw the signal.

_Professor Oak's Laboratory, 10:48 PM_

Scarlet snapped her fingers.

From the opening where Scarlet had a dropped from the ceiling came a huge plume of smoke. Hiding there was a Koffing, R-13's Koffing, which continued its Smokescreen attack, quickly filling the lab. Scarlet, Daisy and Oak were lost in the smoke, and Dirk screamed for them to be found.

Scarlet, meanwhile, had returned her Blastoise. She grabbed the arms of both Oak and Daisy and ushered them to the back of the lab, where the row windows stood above her. Scarlet snatched another Pokéball from her belt and tossed it; the large, winged form of an Aerodactyl materialized into view.

"We're going through there," Scarlet said to Daisy. "We need a tight hold on your grandfather."

"There?" Daisy said, ingesting a mouthful of smoke in the process. She put an arm to her mouth and coughed, then continued in a muffled voice: "Can't we--?"

"No, I'm sorry, this is the only way. Climb aboard and hold on."

Carefully the three of them piled onto Aerodactyl. Oak sat between Scarlet and Daisy, and the two of them anchored him firmly to the Pokémon's back. Scarlet opened her mouth to give the order when Dirk, batting furious at the smoke, stumbled into view. Looking up, he spotted them immediately.

"Ha!" he said. "Grunts! Over here, they're--!"

"Hyper Beam," Scarlet said. "Aim low."

Aerodactyl swung its head toward Dirk, spread is massive jaws, and unleashed the attack. The beam hit the ground a few feet in front of Dirk, blasting a large hole in the floor; the impact sent Dirk flying back into the thick of the smoke.

"Sorry," Scarlet said. "I'll compensate you for the damage later."

"Yes," Oak replied, "that's quite all right…"

Scarlet nodded. "All set, then? Good. Let's fly, Aerodactyl. Brace yourselves!"

_South Pallet Town, 10:50_

The smoke was the signal. R-13 saw it funneling out of a small, nearby chimney. He called forth his Machop; the Pokémon had been injured earlier--knocked out, even--but something had restored its health. R-13 didn't question it. He ordered Machop to attack his partner, the other grunt who had been ordered to guard the windows.

"Karate Chop," R-13 said, in a voice devoid of emotion.

Machop sprinted at the grunt. Before the grunt knew he was being attacked, Machop had laid him out, knocking him unconscious with a fierce chop to the back of the head. R-13 smiled at his success. Now all that was left was to allow whoever it was to escape through the windows. Once that happened, his mission was complete.

He didn't have to wait long.

With an enormous crash, Scarlet and company, riding atop Aerodactyl, burst through the windows. R-13 simply watched as Aerodactyl flapped its wings--rising higher and higher, soaring further and further. Soon they were out of sight.

R-13 smiled again, then collapsed to the ground.

_Rocket Viridian Compound, 12:02 AM_

Sub-Executive Dirk knew the mission had been a tremendous failure--most likely his largest to date. And for reasons unknown, he was already on poor terms with Blue. God knew why; Dirk would love to death an underling that did all his work for him. But the way things stood, he would be demoted for sure.

The memories of his failure pained him again and again, not unlike a bad canker soar or a paper cut on the tongue. He had been defeated--and not just defeated, but _trounced_--by some masked freak dressed in a suit and cape. Scarlet, she called herself. Dirk's insides boiled with rage. He had made a fool of himself in front of the grunts, and demotion loomed on the horizon. He _had_ to make better the situation.

Dirk sat in his office, drumming his fingers on his desk. A grunt hurried by his door, which had been left purposefully ajar for reasons Dirk was on the verge of bringing to light.

"You!" he snapped at the grunt. "Stop right there!"

The grunt froze. "Yes… sir?"

"Come in here."

The grunt did as he was told.

"Any luck locating Scar-- er, Professor Oak and company?"

"No, sir. With all due respect, sir, Aerodactyl is one of the fastest Pokémon in the world, and with the Viridian Forrest nearby, I seriously doubt--"

"Spare me," Dirk cut in. "Is R-13 conscious yet?"

"I don't know, sir."

Dirk rose. "I had better find out, then, hm? You're dismissed."

The grunt was out of Dirk's office before two seconds had passed.

As he made for the door, Dirk sniffed in annoyance. En route he went into his pocket and slid out a piece of gum; he had recently replenished his supply with a fresh pack. He chewed angrily down the hall, to the elevator, then into the basement. Upon reaching his destination, he spat the gum into its wrapper and handed it to one of the two grunts who stood guard.

"Throw this away for me, will you?"

The grunt stared at him.

Dirk returned that stare. "Now."

The grunt finally obliged, hurrying off. Dirk stuck more gum in his mouth before addressing the second grunt.

"Is he conscious?"

The grunt nodded. "Yes, sir, he is."

"Good. Step aside."

The basement level of the Viridian Compound--originally Giovanni's Viridian Gym, but with some modifications--was filled entirely with cells. It seemed like a waste to Dirk; he knew that they were rarely used, and there were over fifty different cells. In fact, he had only made two or three trips to basement level during his six-year-long employment.

R-13 didn't look angry, as Dirk expected him to. He didn't look sad, either; just confused--very, _very_ confused.

"Greetings, R-13."

"Sub-Commander Dick. Hello."

Dirk crushed his gum between his front teeth. "That's… Dirk."

R-13 blinked. "Oh. Of course it is. Sorry, sir."

Dirk observed the grunt. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Oh, sure--quite well, sir. Never better."

"Never better?"

"Yes, sir."

Dirk licked his lips. "Never better despite the fact that you are mostly responsible for the failure of the mission you took part in just a few hours ago?"

"Oh." R-13 blinked again. "Did that happen? Apologies, sir"

"I'm sorry, did you just say 'did that happen?' "

"I guess I did, sir."

"You guess."

"Er… I did, sir."

Dirk narrowed his eyes. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what, sir?" R-13 asked.

"You're telling me you don't know what you did?"

"I gue-- uh, I mean, that's what I'm telling you, sir."

"So you're telling me you don't remember allowing Scar-- er, a masked girl dressed in a cape to use your Koffing as a smokescreen, then letting her, along with Professor Oak and his granddaughter, to escape through the back windows of Oak's Laboratory by attacking one of your own men with your Machop then standing by and watching as they flew out of sight."

"Uh. Can't say I do, sir."

Dirk pursed his lips. "So what _do_ you remember about tonight?"

R-13 shrugged. "Not much, Sub-Comander Dick."

_Route 25, 12:41 PM_

Daisy was, once again, worried about her grandfather.

Fortunately, their rescuer--the masked girl, Scarlet--seemed to share her sentiments. After their initial escape, she had kept Aerodactyl flying at a deliberately moderate pace. They had also taken breaks, and for that Daisy was very grateful. Her grandfather was not at all youthful--far too old to be flying across Kanto on the back of an Aerodactyl.

A few minutes back, they had passed over Cerulean. Like most of the cities and towns of Kanto, it had remained mostly untouched--mostly on account of the Gym, which had been burned to the ground after Misty's defeat at the hands of Team Rocket during their takeover eight years ago. She, along with the other Gym Leaders that refused to cooperate Team Rocket, were sent out to sea and imprisoned on Seafoam Island.

Daisy's thoughts were jarred when she felt the flesh under her hands tremble.

"Are you all right, grandpa?" she asked. "Do we need to stop again?"

"No… well, yes, perhaps…" Oak sneezed. "Ah, I thought my adventuring days had ended a long time ago."

"Scarlet," Daisy said, "can we please rest again?"

"There's no need," Scarlet replied. "We've reached our destination."

Daisy squinted, gazing down at the landscape bellow. The sky was clear now, with the moon and starlight illuminating the world in silver radiance. To Daisy's right was the sea, dark and vast. To her left was a smallish cottage, set between rows of tall, leafy trees. The land rose above the water some thirty feet, with a steep cliff sloping down to the sea.

The cottage, the cliff, the sea--all of it radiated an air of romance. And sure enough, as Aerodactyl descended further, Daisy spotted a couple. They looked to be kissing. Before she could stop herself, she imagined an eighteen-year-old Red standing at the edge of the cliff, behind him the great, looming ocean. She pictured him looking back, smiling, holding out a hand.

"Daisy, I think your grip is loosening just a touch…"

"Oh!" With a slight jolt, Daisy returned to reality. "I'm sorry, grandpa." She retightened her hold.

Oak looked back at her, offering her the biggest smile he could manage while hanging off the back of a Pokémon flying over a hundred feet in the air. "This is a nice place, isn't it?"

"Yes," Daisy replied. "It is."

"Romantic, too, wouldn't you say?"

"I… Yes, I suppose." Not wanting to discuss anything of sort with Scarlet in earshot, Daisy quickly changed the subject. "But, um, Scarlet, do we have a purpose for coming here? Oh. Um… ah, that sounded rude, didn't it? What I meant was… um… could you, uh, maybe tell us why you chose to fly here as a opposed to… somewhere… else?"

"We're here for Bill," Scarlet said.

"Bill lives here?"

"That's right."

No further exchanges were made. Aerodactyl's decent was quick and smooth; Scarlet directed his Pokémon toward the back of Bill's cottage, where it landed with no trouble. Daisy and Scarlet carefully helped Oak off the Pokémon--when the professor's feet hit the ground, he wheezed a sigh of relief.

"Please cover your ears for a moment," Scarlet said. "I'm going to have Aerodactyl use his Supersonic to search the night for any unwelcome company."

Oak and Daisy obliged, and Scarlet ordered Aerodactyl to perform the attack. After about half a minute, Scarlet appeared to be satisfied. She nodded to Oak and Daisy, and the two of them uncovered their ears.

"Come," Scarlet said; she returned Aerodactyl, then made for Bill's front door. "Let's pay Bill a little visit."

"Is he expecting us?" Oak asked as he and Daisy followed.

"No. But he was involved with tonight's success."

"He was?" Daisy asked.

"Yes. With his technological ability, he was able to learn of the attack before hand."

Daisy froze; Scarlet and Oak stopped along with her. "You knew of the attack, yet instead of warning us, you chose to save us dramatically at the last minute?"

Scarlet sighed. "I'm sorry. I made a choice for you. Neither of you fit in a world dominated by Team Rocket… this I assumed. Nor, I believe, would you have trusted the warning of someone unwilling to show their face to you. I did what I thought was necessary--forgive me. You have joined the rebellion now."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Scarlet continued toward Bill's house. Daisy hesitated.

"We could leave, you know," Oak said. "Leave this… Scarlet and her ambitions for rebellion. It may be wise for us to not get caught up in this; the chances of it ending well seem rather bleak."

Daisy shook her head. "No… Scarlet's right. Team Rocket is no doubt scouring all of Kanto for us--she made the choice, and there's no turning back. She will treat you well, though, grandpa, because I won't have it any other way."

Oak nodded, and the two followed Scarlet to the door. It seemed as though Scarlet had already knocked. A minute passed before Scarlet drew a radio from her suit. She pressed a button.

"That's me at the door."

Several more seconds passed, and the door opened. From beyond the threshold, Bill raised his eyebrows. Then a small smile appeared on his face.

"Well," he said, "looks like y'all made it out all right. That's good." His eyes turned to Scarlet. "And you must be Scarlet." He offered her a hand. "Looks like yer dressed for the part, I s'pose."

Scarlet took his hand and shook it firmly. "Thank you for your help."

"That's fine and all, but it's time fer you to hold up yer end of the bargain. I reckon Team Rocket suspects my involvement, so they'll be showin' up 'round here any time now…"

"I thought so as well. I'm prepared to handle to it. Now, Bill… I have another task for you."

"Oh, boy. What's that, now?"

"You're going to help me capture the Viridian Compound."


End file.
